TN 

443 

M7AB 


19 


UC-NRLF 


Mississippi 
State  Geological  Survey 


E.  N.  LOWE,  Director 

Report  of  the 

State  Geologist 
th< 


on  me 


Iron  Ores  of  Marshall  and 
Benton  Counties, 

Made  to  the  Geological  Commission 

May  1,  1912. 


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EXCHANGE 


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Mississippi 
State  Geological  Survey 


E.  N.  LOWE,  Director 

• 

Report  of  the 

State  Geologist 


on 


the 


Iron  Ores  of  Marshall  and 
Benton  Counties, 

Made  to  the  Geological  Commission 

May  1,  1912. 


OOOOCOOCXDOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG 


X 


JL— 


Examination  of  Iron  Ore  Deposits  in 
Marshall  and  Benton  Counties. 


In  addition  to  the  prescribed  lines  of  work  just  reported 
upon,  I  beg  to  report  that  the  Survey  has  recently  been  in- 
vestigating the  Iron  orei  deposits  of  the  Potts  Camp  region 
that  point  to  a  discovery,  whidh  in  my  opinion,  is  of  no  lit- 
tle economic  importance  to  the  State.  It  has  long  beein 
known  that  scattered  deposits  of  brown  oxide  ore,  or  limo- 
nite,  occur  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  especially  in  the 
northern  counties.  Nearly  three  years  ago  I  collected  sam- 
ples of  these  ores  from  seveial  points,  notably,  Grenada,  Duck 
Hill,  Pine  Valley  in  Yalobusha  County,  Lafayette  County  8 
miles  southeast  of  Oxford,  ^.ckerman  in  Choctaw  County,  and 
from  Enterprise!  in  Clarke  County,  all  of  which  were  exhib- 
ited at  the  Capitol  in  Jackson,  where  they  are  now  to  be 
seen  in  the  State  collection.  We  had  hoped  to  have  these 
analyzed  at  the  time,  but  shortage  of  our  funds  prevented, 
and  they  have  not  yet  been  analyzed.  At  two  points,  Acker- 
man  and  southeast  of  Oxford  in  Lafayettte  County,  I  have 
noted  the  fact  that  large  ir  asses  of  the  oxidized  ore  on  being 
broken  open  showed  the  interior  to  be  light  gray  in  color,  in- 
dicating the  presence  of  ire  n  carbonate.  The  presence  of  car 
bonate  was  surprising  because  having  heretofore  escaped  no- 
tice, but  as  the  quantity  of  the  material  was  not  apparently 
great  at  either  place,  little  i  ttention  was  paid  to  the  discover} 
and  no  analyses  were  made.  In  both  cases  the  carbonate  ore 
was  associated  with  lignitic  clays  and  lignites. 

During  the  summer  of  1911,     having  from  time    to     time 


3R4766 


heard  reports  of  iron  at  Pctts  Camp  in.  the  southeastern  part 
of  Marshall  County,  I  stopped  between  trains  and  examined 
the  deposits  somewhat  huriiedly.  The  area  gone  over  was 
perhaps  as  much  as  75  to  100  acres,  and  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  brown  oxide  of  iron  were  'seen  scattered  over  the  hill 
slope.  It  was  not  considered  of  enough  importance  to  inves- 
tigate further,  being  very  similar  to  deposits  found  elsewhere 
in  the  State,  though  the  ore  appeared  of  good  quality.  Recent- 
ly, however,  reports  of  carbonate  iron  ore  found  at  that  point 
together  with  some  analyses  of  those  ores  submitted  to  me 
for  my  opinion,  and  which  showed  the  ore  to  be  carbonate 
ore  high  in  iron,  determined  me  to  re-examine  the  area.  I 
was  also  instructed  by  the  Governor  to  go  over  the  ground 
in  more  detail  and  to  make  a  report  on  the  deposits  observed. 
I 'accordingly  did  so  in  April  of  this  year,  and  have  tin*  lion  or 
to  report  as  follows: 

Potts  Camp  District 

AREA  and  TOPOGRAPHY.— The  area  of  ore-bearing  ter- 
ritory, so  far  as  at  present  determined,  embraces  a  region  ap- 
proximately seven  miles  in  extent  east  to  west  and  about  .the 
same  north  and  south,  with  !Winborn  situated  nearly  in  the 
center.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  the  deposits  in  south- 
ern Lafayette,  in  Yallobusha,  and  in  Grenada  Counties,  and 
perhaps  that  also  in  Choctaw,  were  at  one  time  continuous 
with  but  have  been  separated  by  erosion,  from  the  Potts 
Camp  area. 

The  whole  region  was  originally  part  of  a  high  plateau  of 
north-central  Mississippi,  which  has  been  cut  by  erosion  into 
hills  and  ridges  with  intervening  valleys.  As  a  result  the 
surface  of  the  region  is  rough,  the  ridges  and  hills  parting 


the  stream  courses  being  75  to  100  feet  above  the  drainage 
and  having  rather  steep  sic  pes.  The  uplands  of  the  region 
are  too  rough  and  the  soil  1oo  sterile  to  offer  encouragement 
to  farming;  so  that,  while  tome  of  the  more  promising  parts 
are  open  to  agriculture,  by  iar  the  greater  part  is  still  in  tim- 
ber, such  as  pine,  oak  of  several  spec'es,  hickory,  and  dog- 
wood, though  most  of  the  irercliantahl:1  timber  has  been  cut 
off. 

Two  streams  of  considerable  size  flow  through  the  area 
taking  almost  parallel  courses  from  northeast  to  southwest. 
The  larger  of  the  two  is  Tippah  River  flowing  two  miles 
west  of  Potts  Camp,  the  srraller,  Ocklimita  Creek  east  and 
southeast  of  Hickory  Flat.  These  streams  have  alluvial 
flats  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  wide.  Numerous  streams 
descend  from  the  uplands  to  the  valleys,  cutting  deep  ra- 
vines in  the  ridges  that  make  the  drainage  divides.  Since,  as 
will  appear  later,  the  observable  ore  beds  are  in  the  uplands, 
the  numerous  gorges  and  lavines  have  carved  out  and  car- 
ried away  much  of  the  c  re-bearing  formations. 

GEOLOGY. — The  whole  of  this  region  is  early  Tertiary 
in  age,  belonging  to  the  A\  ilcox  Formation  of  the  Eocene  Ter 
tiary.  Hickory  Flat  lies  at  the  eastern  edge  of  the  field  and 
just  two  miles  west  of  the  western  edge  of  the  Midway  or 
basal  Tertiary. 

The  Wilcox  in  its  upper  part  cons's's  of  2CO  or  300  feet 
of  chocolate-colored  clay ;  tl  e  middle  portion  is  largely  coarse 
sands  of  reddish  and  yellow  ish  tints  as  they  appear  at  the 
surface,  becoming  dark  gr;  yish  or  greenish  beneath  the  sur- 
face on  account  of  the  protoxide  condition  of  the  contained 
iron ;  thes3  sands  are  intei  calated  with  beds  of  lignitic  clays 
and  lignite;  toward  the  baie  the  "Wilcox  shows  greenish  and 
%  dark  gray  sands  and  sandy  clays  with  beds  of  iron  carbonate 


and  of  lignite  and  gray  or  Hgnitic  clays.  The  iron  carbonate 
beds  usually  underly  the  ,« andy  clay  beds  and  are  underlaid 
by  the  same2  or  more  freqi  ently  by  the  lignitic  clays.  In 
the  cut  at  Ackerman  an  8  inch  bed  of  iron  carbonate  partly 
oxidized  by  exposure  lies  letween  beds  of  lignitic  clays  with 
thin  seams  of  lignite.  At  the  base  of  the  cut  large  masses  of 
kidney  ore  lie  within  the  strndy  clay  both  above  and  below 
which  are  lignite  beds. 

ORE  BODIES. — The  region  as  a  whole  presents  or  s  of 
two  kinds,  brown  oxide  or<  s  at  the  s:u  t'nrc.  and  iron  carbo- 
nate or  spathic  ores  benea  h  the  surface,  both  in  the  form  of 
distinct  beds  and  of  large  kidney  or  concretionary  masses. 
These  are  exposed  in  seetkns  at  various  places.  In  discuss- 
ing the  occurrence  of  the  ( res,  I  wi1!  speak  of  three  areas 
in  the  region  studied;  viz,  the  Potts  ^'amp  area,  tlv  AViu- 
born  area,  and  the  Hickory  Flat  area,  cadi  lying  separated 
from  the  others  apparently  by  erosion. 

POTTS  CAMP  AREA.- A  range  of  hills  or  ridges  lying 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Til  pah  River  valley  and  north  of 
the  Frisco  R.  R.,  and  having  a  northeast  and  southwest  trend 
shows  large  quantities  of  Irown  oxide  ore  lying  upon  the 
surface.  A  tipple  was  coistructed  at  the  rail  road  and  25 
car  loads  of  ore  is  reported  to  have  been  shipped  during  last 
year  by  the  Allen  Bros,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  from  the 
point  of  the  hills  nearest  tie  railroad,  on  what  is  known  as 
the  Reid  property.  The  ore  was  collected  and  hauled  to  the 
tipple  in  farm  wagons  by  £reen  hands,  and  I  am  informed 
by  Mr.  Allen  that  there  is  ready  demand  for  all  that  can  be 
shipped  to  the  furnaces  in  Bimingham.  Examination  of  the 
Reid  property  revealed  beside  the  loose  ore  lying  thickly 
over  the  surface,  a  distinct  ledge  of  the  oxide  ore  14  inches 
thick  underlying  the  tops  of  the  ridges,  with  only  a  cover- 


Ing  of  2  to  4  feet  of  loose  earth.     The  ore  is  of  good  quality 
as  shown  by  the  accompanying  analysis  made  at  the   State 
University   of   materials   collected  by  myself. 
Oxide  ore  from  Reid  property,  Potts  Camp. 
Chemical  Analysis. 


Fe    

.  .    ..53.64 

Al 

1.45 

Mn    

8.00 

S     .       ... 

0.53 

P   

0.075 

CO.-    

0.87 

Si  0-.- 

.   5.34 

O  &  H    0....  20.91 
Tnsol   .  .  9.18 


W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

A  ledge  of  two  feet  of  carbonate  ore  is  also  reported  to 
outcrop  on  this  property  farther  to  the  northwest,  but  I 
failed  to  find  it,  though  farther  north  on  the  Gurley  place 
such  ore  was  found. 

Adjoining  the  Reid  property  on  the  north  is  the  Gurley 
property  of  several  hundred  acres,  partly  lying  in  the  valley 
of  Tippah  River,  but  largely  also  back  upon  the  hills.  All 
over  the  hill  slopes  from  the  Reid  property  to  Mr.  Gurley 's 
residence,  about  a  mile,  the  brown  oxide  ore  lies  thickly 
strewn  in  masses  from  the  size  of  a  walnut  to  boulders 
weighing  a  thousand  pounds,  the  greater  part  of  which  looks 
to  be  equally  good  with  that  shown  in  the  above  analysis.  In 
fact  it  is  derived  from  the  same  bed,  the  outcropping  of 
which  on  top  of  the  ridges  can  be  se-en.  The  ore  lying  up- 
on these  slopes  not  only  thickly  covers  the  surface,  but  the 


pick  strikes  it  almost  everywhere  beneath  the  surface,  wlu-ie 
it  seems  to  be  disseminated  through  the  soil,  though  I  doubt 
if  it  extends  more  than  a  foot  or  two  beneath  the  surface. 

All  this  loose  ore  seems  to  represent  remnants  of  a  ledge 
that  once  lay  just  beneath  the  surface  of  the  original  plateau, 
but  which  erosion  has  let  d?own  and  scattered  over  the 
slopes  of  the  remaining  higher  lands. 

One  mile  north  of  Gurley's  residence  on  the  little  creek 
upon  which  his  sawmill  is  located  I  found  outcrops  of  two 
ledges  of  carbonate  ore  of  excellent  quality,  as  shown  by  the 
accompanying  analysis,  (made  at  the  University,  the  materials 
being  collected  by  myself  from  this  locaMty. 

Carbonate   Ore   from   Gurley's  place,  Potts  Camp. 
Chemical    Analysis. 

Ee    45.32  About  67.0  Calcined. 

Al 1.22 

Mn     3.90 

S    0.01 

'   P   0.045 

C  0  -• 33.06 

Si   0:  3.65 

0  &  H-J  0  ...  .11.56 in  carbonate  and  hydrated  oxides 
Insol  .  1.24 


"W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

The  smaller  ledge  from  which  the  above  sample  was  taU 
en,  is  about  8  inches  thick,  and  outcrops  on  the  east  side  of 
the  stream  about  8  or  10  feet  beneath  the  surface.  The  bed 
dips  at  a  low  angle  to  the  south  and  perhaps  east.  Talrs  HIM 
terial  prevented  my  seeing  the  base  of  the  slope  but  about  IOC 
yards  farther  up  the  stream,  another  ledge  of  the  same  ore 


outcrops  at  a  lower  level,  dipping  slightly  toward  the  south  ' 
,and  undoubtedly  underlying  the  other  at  slight  depth.  This 
last  ledge  lies  only  2  to  4  feet  beneath  the  surface,  the  over- 
lying material  being  soft  earth,  perhaps  alluvial  constituting 
a  flat  several  acres  in  extent  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream. 
The  ledge  is  20  inches  thick  of  solid  ore.  It  would  appear  to 
underly  all  this  territory,  but  covered  more  or  less  deeply  be- 
neath the  hills.  Other  and  thicker  outcrops  along  this  streair 
have  been  recently  reported,  though  these  I  have  no  knowl- 
edge of. 

Assuming  the  surface  bled  of  oxidized  ore  to  have  been 
originally  carbonate,  which  is  almost  a  certainty,  we  have  in 
this  area  at  least  three  ledges,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
others  may  exist.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  one  of  the  engineers 
•employed  by  the  Birmingham  company  made  a  drilling  in 
the  edge  of  the  Tippah  valley  on  Gurley's  land  and  claims  to 
have  passed  through  a  six  foot  bed  of  material  at  a  depth  of 
about  30  feet,  which  analysis  is  reported  to  have  shown  to  be 
carbonate  ore.  However,  as  I  saw  neither  the  analysis  nor 
the  material  I  cannot  of  myself  vouch  for  these  statements. 
Further,  two  and  a  half  miles  up  the  Tippah  River  from 
Gurley's  residence  a  ledge  of  the  carbonate  ore  is  reported  to 
extend  across  the  river  at  an  old  mill  site,  but  the  water  was 
too  high  at  the  time  of  my  \isit  to  see  any  evidence  of  it. 
Not  far  from  the  same  locality,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
Gurley  reported  the  same  material  as  being  struck  in  a  well. 
I  have  not  been  able  to  get  any  of  the  material  from  the  well 
for  analysis,  and  therefore  cannot  vouch  for  the  character  of 
the  deposit.  Two  beds  are  leported  to  have  been  struck  with- 
in 30  feet  of  tin  surface,  each  about  2  feet  in  thickness.  Mr. 
^W.  S.  Allen  of  Birmingham,  informs  me  that  he  obtained  spe- 
cimens of  the  material  from  the  well,  which  he  had  analyzed 
and  proved  to  be  carbonate  of  iron. 


It  would  seem  from  these  facts  that  deposits  of  the  car- 
bonate ore  underly  this  region  in  at  least  three — perhaps 
more — beds,  which  the  evidence  indicates  to  be  of  workable 
thickness,  a  great  deal  of  which  can  be  mined  by  stripping  at 
slight  cost.  In  order  to  make  a  certainty  what  the  facts  in 
hand  appear  to  make  probable,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make 
numerous  drillings  throughout  the  area  with  a  core  drill. 
The  'examination  of  the  cores  brought  up  will  determine  the 
presence  or  absence  of  the  ore  beds,  number,  thickness  and 
depth  beneath  the  surface  of  the  beds,  and  by  analysis  of  the 
cores  the  quality  of  the  ore. 

WINBORN  AREA.— One  half  mile  south  of  Winborn,  on 
the  place  of  I.  N.  Bready,  iu  Section  26,  T  5,  R  1,  W,  a  hill 
examined  three  hundred  yards  northwest  of  the  Bready  resi- 
dence, shows  three  ledges  outcropping,  the  lowest  a  thin 
ledge  of  6  to  8  inches  thickness'  25  feet  below  the  top  of  the 
ridge.  The  other  two  ledges  outcrop  at  levels  of  approximate- 
ly 18  and  8  feet  below  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  each  about  one 
foot  in  thickness. 

The  ore  at  surface  is  oxidized,  but  where  freshly  exposed, 
as  seen  in  one  or  two  places  where  Mr.  Bready  had  been  quai 
rying  the  material  for  chimneys  and  foundations,  the  material 
showed  a  thin  shell  of  oxide  externally,  but  a  fraction  of  an 
inch  thick,  beneath  which  it  revealed  the  gray  appearance  of 
the  carbonate.  These  ledges  outcrop  at  frequent  intervals 
along  the  hillsides,  and  seem  continuous  beneath  the  hill. 

The  ores  here  are  more  siliceous  than  elsewhere  observed 
and  as  before  stated,  has  been  quarried  by  Mr.  Bready  for 
chimneys  and  foundations.  Some  of  the  material  observed  in 
the  chimneys  of  the  Bready  residence  is  very  dark,  almost 
black,  though  Mr.  Bready  states  that  at  the  time  of  quarry- 
ing it  looked  almost  white.  A  sample  of  the  oxidized  ore  tak 


en  from  the  ledge  18  feet  btlow  the  top  of  the  hill  shows  the 
following  results    on    analysis: 

Oxide  Ore  from  hill  noithwest  of  Bready's  residence,   at 
Winborn. 

Chemical  Analysis. 

Fe    43.48 

Al 1.48 

Mn    9.04 

S    0.37 

P   0.074 

C  0-j    0.11 

Si  0. 19.69 

O  &  H2  0 15.40 

Insol  10.45 


W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

A  sample  taken  from  the  uppermost  ledge  outcropping  on 
the  hill  300  yards  northwest  of  the  residence  of  I.  X.  Bready, 
Winborn,  shows  the  f olio wi ing  analysis: 
Carbonate  Ore  from  Bieady's  place. 
Chemical  Analysis. 

Fe    40.03  About  47.0  Calcined. 

Al 0.65 

Mn    3.02 

S    1.81 

P   0.11 

C  0-> 15.92 

Si  02 14.27 

0  &  H2  0 16.51 

Insol   ,  13.69 


W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 


On  the  Bready  property  the  hills  or  ridges  have  a  gener- 
al direction  of  northwest  to  southeast.  To  the  southeast  of 
Bready 's  residence  little  ore  is  seen  for  a  distance  of  two  or 
three  hundred  yards,  but  a  good  deal  of  ferrugineous  sand 
stone.  In  fact,  in  this  area  all  the  formations  are  more  sandy 
than  in  the  Potts  Camp  area.  Even  the  dark  gray  clays  un- 
derlying the  ore  beds  are  more  sandy  than  elsewhere  observed 

About  500  yards  southeast  of  Bready 's  residence  on  the 
same  ridge  is  an  outcropping  of  goocl-'ooking  oxidized  ore, 
which  has  the  appearance  of  being  the  exposed  edge  of  a 
workable  ledge  12  to  15  inches  thick  lying  1  to  3  feet  beneath 
the  surface,  the  overburden  being  tall  loose  material.  The 
ledge  appears  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hill,  appearing  to 
cap  an  area  of  five  or  six  acres,  perhaps  as  much  as  15  a<-r  s 
though  evidence  is  not  conclusive  for  the  larger  estimate. 
Drillings  would  easily  estabish  the  presence  or  absence  of  the 
ledge.  A  sample  taken  shows  the  fo -lowing  analysis: 

Oxile  Ore  from  Bready  place. 

Chemical  Analysis. 


Fe    

....    39.32 

Al  

9.78 

Mn  

12.30 

S  

,  3.72 

P    

0.02 

C  0  

0.015 

Si  0-j  

4.36 

O   &  H:O 

....  19.88 

Insol 

,    ,     .  7.46 

W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 


Another  sample   from   the  same-  outcrop  gave  the  follow- 
ing analysis: 

Oxide  Ore  from  Bready  place. 

Chemical  Analysis. 


Fe    

54.60 

Al  

1.07 

Mn    

3.22 

S    

0.23 

P  

0.041 

CO   

0.87 

SiO 

..17.2f 

0  &  11-20   ....  17.81 
Lnsol  .  4.82 


AY.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

Good  surface  oxide  ore  in  considerable  quantity  occurs 
on  the  hill  slope  just  beyord  the  Bready  land  to  th?  soath 
and  east,  on  the  Byrd  Maimon  property,  but  no  ledges  were 
seen  except  i  ossibly  at  one  place  about  150  yards  from  the 
division  fence.  The  conditions  are  so  analogous  t-j  those 
seen  a  few  hundred  yards  away  on  ths  Bready  land  that  the 
presence  of  ths  surface  oxidized  ledge  may  be  reasonably  in- 
ferred. 

Xo  carbonate  ore  was  noted  at  this  end  of  the  property, 
but  at  Bready 's  residence  a  well  16  feet  deep  stopped  upon  a 
ledge  said  to  be  this  ore,  and  thewater  has  a  distinct  chaly- 
beate flavor.  I  infer  that  all  the  surface  oxides  here,  as  at 
Potts  Camp  and  at  Hickory  Flat,  as  will  be  noticed  later,  is 
derived  directly  by  surface  exposure  resulting  in  oxidation 
from  the  carbonate,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  exploration 
with  a  core  drill  would  protably  reveal  beds  of  carbonate  be- 
neath these  iidges. 


Just  beyond  the  north  edge  of  the  town  of  Winborn  con- 
siderable quantities  of  what  appears  to  be  good  grade  oxide 
ore  lies  loose  over  the  land  of  W.  II.  Cruse.  Masses  lie  all 
over  the  plowed  ground  in  the  field.  Two  wells  on  the  place 
encountered  the  ore  beds,  according  to  account  of  M.  Cruse, 
and  had  to  stop  in  the  ore,  being  unable  to  penetrate  it.  The 
wells  were  bored  wells  20  to  25  feet  deep,  and  no  materials 
taken  from  them  could  be  found  for  identification. 

On  the  J.  F.  Taylor  lard  adjoining  that  of  the  Cra.sj 
place,  loose  oxide  ore  of  good  grade  occurs  scattered  rather 
abundantly  over  the  hill  slope.  A  distinct  ledge  outcrops 
around  the  hills  just  back  of  the  Cruse  place,  of  good  quality 
and  about  10  inches  thick.  This  ledge  lies  about  7  or  8  feet 
below  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  overburden  being  all  loose  earth 
easily  removed  by  shovels.  Another  apparent  ledge  crosses 
the  road  200  yards  north  of  the  schoo1  house,  but  of  undeter- 
mined thickness.  All  this  ore  appears  to  be  of  good  quality 
brown  oxide.  No  carbonate  ore  has  been  seen  north  of  Win- 
born,  but  exploration  with  the  drill  would  probably  reveal  it, 
since  conditions,  so  far  as  these  are  observable  are  precisely 
similar  to  those  on  the  Bready  property  and  at  Potts  Camp, 
where  it  does  occur. 

Hickory  Flat  Area. 

The  chain  of  hills  and  ridges  examined  at  "Winborn  on 
the  Bready  and  Byrd  Marmon  properties  swing  around  to  the 
south  of  Hickory  Flat.  As  would  be  expected,  the  same  set 
of  conditions  prevail  here  as  at  Winborn.  The  separation  by 
erosion  of  the  Winborn  and  Hickory  Flat  areas  is  not  so  well 
marked  as  that  of  the  Winborn  and  Potts  Camp  areas.  On 
the  land  of  J.  H.  Morehead  3  miles  southwest  of  Hickory 


Flat  an  outcrop  of  oxidized  ore  occurs  in  which  the  original 
carbonate  condition  of  the  ore  is  still  observable,  showing  the 
ledge  to  be  one  of  carbonate  ore.  This  ledge  in  places  as- 
sumes the  character  of  kidney  concretions  of  large  siize,  but 
for  the  most  part  appears  to  be  a  continuous  ledye  where  ex- 
posed on  the  slopes  of  the  hill  upon  which  is  located  the  resi- 
dence of  John  May,  situated  in  Section  30,  T  5,  R  1,  E.  It 
is  12  to  14  inches  thick,  of  good  looking  ore,  and  passes  from 
the  point  of  the  hill  where  exposed,  back  under  the  ridge,  an 
area  of  about  30  acres,  the  depth  beneath  the  surface  vary- 
ing from  a  foot  or  two  to  10  to  15  feet.  A  well  sunk  near 
the  house  struck  the  ore  at  a  depth  of  10  to  12  feet. 

On  Section  31  outcrops  of  15  inches  thickness  occur  on 
the  south  side  of  a  small  creek  10  or  12  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  hill  on  which  stands  the  house  of  B.  Nolen,  on 
land  of  R.  J.  Morehead.  The  ore  bed  shows  all  around  the 
point  of  the  hill,  but  the  ore  appears  highly  siliceous.  In  ap- 
pearance it  is  very  much  the  same  as  that  observed  on  the 
land  of  Mr.  Bready  at  "Winborn,  though  no  carbonate  was 
observed. 

At  a  well  sunk  about  3  years  ago  at  a  point  200  yards 
south  of  the  Nolen  house  &  bed  of  pure  carbonate  ore  was 
struck  at  a  depth  of  15  feet.  As  stated  by  Mr.  Morehead,  the 
material  when  freshly  brought  to  the  surface  was  light  bluish 
gray  in  color,  but  at  the  present  time  it  is  somewhat  oxidized, 
by  exposure.  A  sample  which  I  picked  off  the  pile  at  the 
well  gives  the  following  results  as  analyzed  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity : 


(  arbor, ate  Ore  from  well  on  Morehead  place. 
Chemical  Analysis. 

Fe    50.49  66.6  Calcined 

Al 3.29 

Mn 10.21 

S    0.52 

P    0.30 

CO 25.12 

Si  O 5.28 

O  &  II  0 4.11 

Insol  .  5.06 


W.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

According  to  Mr.  Morehead  the  well  was  discontinued  be- 
cause the  material  was  too  hard  to  penetrate  with  a  pick.  The 
thickness  of  the  bed  was  not  determ'ned.  About  75  yards 
west  of  the  first  well  another  was  sunk',  with  the  same  result. 
Both  these  wells  were  sunk  at  an  elevation  several  fe.et  lower 
that  the  ledge  underlying  Nolen's  house,  so  that  the  b  d 
struck  in  the  bottom  of  the  well  at  a  depth  of  15  feet,  in  my 
opinion,  could  hardly  be  the  same,  since  there  is  no  appreci- 
able dip  of  the  former.  Besides,  the  ore  seems  of  much  purer 
quality.  It  probably  corresponds  with  the  bed  cut  by  a  ditch 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  west  of  the  first  well.  The  bed  here  ex 
posed  is  20  inches  thick  on  the  west  side  of  the  ditch  next  to 
the  hills,  where  it  passes  under  cover,  which  at  the  ditch  is  3 
or  4  feet,  but  gets  deeper,  uip  to  15  or  more  feet  under  the 
hill.  This  ledge  of  ore,  which  so  far  as  examined  was  all  oxi 
dized,  could  be  traced  only  for  a  few  yards — 8  or  10 — and  it 
was  impossible  to  determine  whether  this  was  becarse  of 
slumping  from  above  or  because  the  ledge  pinched  out.  A 
rather  distinct  terrace  running  along  the  base  of  the  hill  pos- 
sibly marks  the  covered  outcrop  of  this  ledge. 


Following  the  ditch  50  yards  up  from  this  point  a  deep 
brown  sandstone  forms  a  distinct  ledge  across  the  elite.  15 
inches  thick,  which  probably  is  not  of  economic-  importance, 
appearing  too  siliceous.  All  along  the  ditch  boulders  of  both 
oxide  and  carbonate  ores  are  thickly  strewn  upon  the  bottom, 
but  none  that  positively  could  be  determined  to  be  in  place 
appeared  until  at  a  point  about  300  yards  up  the  ditch.  Here 
the  current  of  the  water  undercut  tha  bank  16  to  18  feet  high 
on  the  west  side,  and  a  recent  slump  has  occurred  exposing 
the  whole  face  of  the  bluff  for  a  distance  of  10  or  12  yards 
The  material  of  the  upper  half  of  the  bluff  is  dark  grayish 
sandy  lignitic  clay  overlying  a  stratum  composed  of  a  bed  of 
carbonate  ore  12  inches  thick.  This  stratum  is  in  part  a  con- 
tinuous bed,  but  for  part  of  the  distance  is  composed  of  lin- 
ticular  masses  of  large  size  lying  closely  together.  Below  this 
ore  stratum  the  material  to  the',  base  of  the  cut  is  gray  mas- 
sive clay. 

In  the  ditch  below  this  cut  are  large  masses  of  excellent 
carbonate  ore,  and  smaller  masses  varying  in  size  from  that 
of  a  walnut  to  blocks  weighing  75  to  150  pounds  ar?  scattered 
rather  thickly  along  the  bed  of  the  d'tch.  All  of  this  mater- 
ial impressed  me  as  having  slumped  or  rolled  down  from  the 
south  bank  of  the  ditch.  Here  as  farther  down,  something 
of  a  shelf  or  terrace  probably  marks  the  position  of  the  ore 
bed. 

Since  the  outcropping  ore  beds  in  this  vicinity,  so  far  as 
observable,  haA'e  little  if  any  dip,  and  since  the  ledge  observ- 
ed at  the  slope  just  mentioned  is  at  a  level  at  least  10  or  12 
feet  above  the  ledge  first  described  ontc'ropp'ng  on  this  ditch, 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  not  the  same,  but  that  the 
12  inch  ledge  overlies  the  20  inch  ledg?,  separatred  by  a  ver- 
tical interval  of  10  or  12  feet. 


Below  is  ail  analysis  of  ore  taken  from  the  20  inch  ledge 
outcropping  on  the  Morehead  ditch: 
Chemical  Analysis. 

Fe    56.61 

Al 13.02 

Mn   10.89 

S    1.06 

P   0.072 

CO   1.18 

Si  O 10.29 

O  &  H  0 1.21 

Infiol  .  5.57 


\V.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 

At  a  point  in  the  ditch  bed  immediately  b?neath  the  slope 
above  mentioned  a  sample  of  fresh  carbonate  ore  was  taken 
whicJi  gives  the  following  analysis: 

Carbonate  Ore  from  Morehead 's  ditch. 
Chemical  Analysis. 

Fe    47.12  --  68.0  Calcined. 

Al    2.02 

Mn    6.26 

S    1.14 

P 0.034 

CO  29.06 

Si  0  4.80 

O  &  H  0 9.01 

Insol  .  .  1.08 


\V.  L.  PERDUE,  Analyst. 
On  a  little  creek  that  cjrosses  the  road  about  250  or  300 


yards  south  of  the  house  of  B.  Xolen,  in  Section  31,  and  not 
more  than  100  yards  above  the  road  crossing  a  new  slump  of 
earth  on  the  south  bank  reveals  a  ledge  of  carbonate  ore  15 
inches  thick,  which  passes  tack  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
field  lying  on  that  side  of  ihe  stream.  The  ore  bed  lies  2 
feet  beneath  the  surface  of  tlit  field  whore  exposed  and  can- 
not be  much  more  than  iht  t  over  the  whole  field  of  saveral 
acres.  Other  exposures  occur  farther  up  the  stream,  but  the 
ore  seems  more  siliceous  tl  an  at  the  first  exposure. 

Practically  all  the  hill'  andridgis  in  this  vicinity,  as  at 
Potts  Camp,  seem  to  be  to]  ped  by  an  oxidized  ore  of  good 
grade,  which  lies  scattered  over  the  surface,  or  just  beneath 
the  soil  in  tlu  form  of  a  d  stinet  bed.  This  is  almost  surely 
part  of  a  suiface  ledge  thj  t  at  one  time  covered  the  whole 
region,  but  which  erosion  las  cut  away  in  carving  out.  the 
valleys  and  hollows,  leaving  such  of  -the  ore  as  remains  in 
fragmentary  beds  capping  the  hills  and  ridges,  or  letting  it 
down  in  loose  fragments  uj  on  the  hill  slopes  If  this  be  a 
correct  interpretation  of  tl  e  history  of  these  ore  beds,  it  is 
quite  possible  that,  owing  to  their  gravity  and  hence  diffi- 
culty of  removal  by  water  currents  at  the  bottom  of  the  al- 
luvial deposits  of  the  smal  er  streams  of  all  this  region  very 
considerable  deposits  of  th  s  ore  may  be  found,  something; 
in  the  nature  of  placer  depc  sits  in  gold  regions.  However, 
this  can  be  determined  on  y  by  exploration  beneath  the  sur- 
face. It  is  possible  that  tl  e  very  considerable  quantity  of 
drift  ore  found  in  the  bottc  ji  orf  the  Moiehead  ditch  is  evi- 
dence of  this  mode  of  acci emulation. 

From  the  foregoing  fr<cta  it  will  be  evident  that,  as  re-'- 
gards  conditions,  kinds  of  ore,  modes  of  occurrence,  and  re- 
lated facts,  the  three  area?,  of  Potts  Camp,  Winborn,  and 
Hickory  Flat,  are  a  unit ;  i  nd  that  the  deeper  beds  of  the. 


three  regions  are  perhaps  ccn  tin  nous  from  one  to  the  other 
areas,  though  the  use  of  the  .core  drill  will  be  necessary  to 
prove  continuous  beds  of  ere. 

Possibility  of  Development 

QUALITY  OF  ORE.— Cf  nine  specimens  of  ore  collected 
by  myself  from  representative  deposits  of  the  thre;>  ar-as 
five  were  oxide  ores  and  fcur  carbonate  ores,  all  of  which 
were  analyzed  at  the  State  University,  the  analyses  being  in- 
cluded in  the  foregoing  discussion.  Summarizing  the  result, 
I  find  the  following: 

Five  oxida  ores  give  averages  as  follows: 
Metallic  Iron  .  .49.53 
Manganese  ....  8.69 

Sulphur   1.38 

Phos  0.057 

Silica 18.88 

Four  carbonate  ores  give  the  following  averages  after 
calcination : 

Metallic  Iron  ..62.15 
Manganese  ....  5.77 

Sulphur 0.87 

Phos    0.122 

Silica 13.345 

An  average  of  all  the  above  nine  ores  is  as  follows: 
Metallic  Iron  ..55.14 

Manganese 7.43 

Sulphur    1.15 

Phos    0.086 

Silica  16.42 


An  average  of  17  ores  tested,  including  carbonate  ores  all 
calcined,  gives  the  following  results : 
Metallic  Iron  ..55.07 
Manganese  ....4.072 

Sulphur    1.15 

Phosphorus  ..  0.079 
Silica 13.12 

An  average  of  eight  carbonate  ores  not  calcined  gives  the 
following : 

Metallic  Iron  ..45.2 
Manganese  ....1.074 
Phosphorus  . .  0.059 

On  calcination  it  is  probable  that  these  carbonate  ores 
would  raise  rather  than  lower  the  general  average  iron  con- 
tent, would  very  materially  lower  the  Manganese  content,  and 
would  lower  somewhat  the  Phosphorus  content.  The  effect 
upon  the  Silica  content  is  not  known  because  no  tests  for 
Silica  were  made  in  connection  with  these  eight  carbonate 
ores. 

It  will  be  seen  that  these  ores  average  rather  high  in 
iron,  have  sufficient  Manganese  to  add  quality  to  the  iron,  is 
not  too  high  in  Silica,  especially  the  carbonate  ores,  and  are 
exceptionally  low  in  Sulphujr  and  Phosphorus.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  iron  made  from  these  ores  would  be  of  the 
highest  quality  of  soft  malleable  iron,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
manufacture  of  the  best  grades  of  steel. 

QUANTITY  OF  ORE.— The  lowest  possible  estimate  which 
I  have  been  able  to  put  upon  the  quantity  of  ore  in  sight  and 
certainly  available  at  minimum  cost  of  mining,  not  to  exceed 
one  dollar  per  ton  on  board  car,  is  half  a  million  tons.  Ore 
of  this  kind  is  selling  in  Birmingham,  Alabama,  at  $2.50  per 


_  ton.  Allowing  a  freight  rat  e  of  fifty  cents  per  ton,  a  margin 
of  one  dollar  per  ton  remairs.  Assuming  that  there  is  no  more 
than  there  is  now  in  sight,  which  is  an  unwarranted  assump- 
tion, since  all  indications  point  to  a  larger  supply  beneath  the 
surface,  the  exploitation  of  this  ore  will  net  $500,000.00  exclu- 
sive of  plant  necessary  to  develop,  the  cost  of  which  would 
not  be  great,  unless  smelting  furnaces  were  erected. 

PUTTING  THE  ORE  UPON  THE  MARKET.— The  fur- 
naces at  Birmingham  consume  10,000  tons  of  brown  oxide  ore 
per  month,  which  on  account  of  its  low  phophorus,  is  mixed 

with  the  red  ores  of  that  district  to  improve  the  quality  of  the 
&•• 
iron   nroduced.     The  Potts  Camp    brown   ore   will   no    doubt 

find  a  market  there,  all  heietofore  shipped  to  Birmingham. 
about  1500  tons,  having  imt  with  ready  acceptance,  and  re- 
quests for  more  having  be*n  made. 

Since  all  but  the  surface  ore  of  the  district  is  carbonate 
ore,  which  by  all  reasonable  inferences  must  form  the  bulk  of 
the  ore  of  the  district,  a  calcining  plant  will  be  necessary 
when  deeper  mining  begins.  Should  the  underground  supply 
of  ore  prove  great,  Memphis  would  prove  a  strategic  point  foi 
the  erection  of  smelting  furnaces,  the  calcining  plants  being 
placed  probably  nearer  the  mines.  The  ore  district  is  less 
than  60  miles  from  Memphis,  which  is  accessible  by  water  to 
all  parts  of  the  country,  both  the  Mississippi  valley  and  the 
Atlantic  seaboard.  On  the  basis  of  six  mills  per  ton  a  mile, 
a  freight  rate  of  the  ore  to  Memphis  would  be  thirty-five 
cents  per  ton,  to  which  adding  fifteen  cents  for  loading  on 
barges  at  Memphis,  would  make  the  cost  f.  o.  b.  Memphis 
50  cents. 

Low  phosphorus  ore  is  ft  a  premium  and  much  in  demand 
in  all  the  great  iron  and  steel  plants  in  the  country.  The 
Bethlehem  Steel  Co.,  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co.,  and  Maryland 


Steel  Co.:  use  these  01  s  in  great  quantities,  the  first  named, 
at  Bethlehem,  Pennsyh  ania,  having  recently  contracted  for 
about  4  1-2  million  toi  s  of  Sweedish  ore.  The  Potts  Camp 
ore,  in  its  low  phosphorus  content,  approximates  the  Sweed- 
ish ore  in  character,  and  put  on  board  steamer  at  Memphis 
could  readily  compete  with  the  foreign  ore  along  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  It  is  probable  tbat  the  ore  shipped  from  Memphis 
by  water  could  be  put  at  .Atlantic  coast  points  for  $3.25  per 
ton  including  mining  costs.  The  ore  is  worth  8  1-2  cents 
per  unit,  and  since  this  ore  averages,  as  noted  above  55  per 
cent  of  metallic  iron,  the  selling  price  per  ton  would  be 
$4.65,  giving  a  net  margin  <  f  $1.40. 

It  will  be  seen  then  tha'  a  market  for  this  kind  and  grade 
iron  ore  can  be  had  at  the  furnaces  in  Birmingham  with  a 
margin  of  profit,  or  that,  1  andled  by  way  of  Memphis,  much 
wider  markets  may  be  rea<  hed  and  sti1!  have  a  good  margin 
of  profit. 

By  the  establishment  ( f  furnaces  at  Memphis,  the  ore 
could  be  smelted  at  that  p<  int  and  the  pig  iron  shipped  to 
the  market,  instead  of  the  <  re.  A  furnace  that  would  con- 
sume 75  tons  of  ore  per  day  would  cost,  including  coke  ovens 
approximately  $250,000  and.  as  already  estimated,  the  ore  in 
sight  now  ought  to  keep  such  a  furnace  running  about  19 
years. 

This  ore  would  perhaps  best  be  reduced  by  the  use  of 
charcoal;  the  iron  so  produced  would  be  softer  and  command 
a  better  price.  Charcoal  can  be  made  at  a  cost  of  not  more 
than  6  cents  per  bushel,  the  lands  furnishing  the  ore  furnish 
ing  also  abundant  material  for  charcoal.  It  will  take  about 
125  bushels  of  charcoal  to  make  one  ton  of  pig  iron,  costing 
$7.50  per  ton,  but  this  cost  can  be  reduced  by  the  erection  of 
by-produet  ovens.  Estimating  the  cost  of  putting  the  ore  at 


the  stack  at  $2.00  per  ton,  labor  at  the  kiln  $1.50,  and  flux 
50  cents,  the  total  cost  will  be  $11.50.  Charcoal  iron  is  sell- 
ing now  in  Alabama  at  the  furnace  for  $22.00  per  ton,  leav- 
inga  margin  of  $10.50. 

The  consumption  of  charcoal  would  be  so  great  that  it 
would  probably  eventually  lave  to  be  replaced  by  coke  for 
smelting  purposes.  Nut  and  slack  coal  from  the  coal  min -s 
of  Pennsylvania  and  West  \irginia,  suitable  for  making  coke, 
can  be  put  into  Memphis  ly  water  transportation  at  a  cost 
of  perhaps  $1.25  to  $1.50  per  ton.  By  erecting  by-product 
ovens  in  connection  with  tie  coke  ovens,  the  by-product  out- 
put may  be  sold  at  figures  to  make  the  coke  to  be  used  for 
calcining  or  smelting  almost  clear  of  cost,  reducing  very  ma- 
terially the  cost  of  smelting,  and  thereby  increasing  in  an 
equal  ratio  the  margin  of  piofit,  at  the  same  time  making  it 
possible  to  handle  ores  of  a  lower  grade  at  a  profit. 

At  the  present  time  ore  company,  the  Memphis  Mining 
and  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  are  operat 
ing  in  the  Potts  Camp  disti  ict.  They  have  holdings  of  sever- 
al thousand  acres  of  the  mcst  promising  lands,  especially 
those  lying  near  the  Frisco  Railroad.  So  far  little  develop- 
ment has  been  done.  xTwerty-five  carloads  of  oxide  ore  pick- 
ed up  from  tha  surface  is  reported  to  have  been  shipped  out, 
and  sold  at  Birmingham,  all  this  coming  from  the  Reid  prop- 
erty two  miles  west  of  Potls  Camp,  at  a  point  on  the  Rail- 
road where  a  tipple  has  been  erected.  All  the  prospecting 
has  been  on  the  surface,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two 
drillings,  which  are  reported  to  have  struck  carbonate  ore  at 
depths  of  25  to  30  feet. 

The  best  outcrops  and  surface  deposits  of  ore  observed  in 
this  region  lie  within  two  miles  of  the  railroad,  the  interven- 
ing distance  being  either  level  or  down  grade  toward  the 


railroad,  so  that  spurs  could  be  built  at  little  expense  to  each 
of  the  Potts  Gamp,  Winboru,  and  Hickory  Flat  areas.  Natural 
conditions  are  good  for  handling  the  ores  cheaply  and  easily. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  one  of  the  first  steps  toward  the 
development  of  this  region  should  be  the  putting  down  of 
numerous  drill  holes,  using  the  core  drill,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
determine  the  exact  extent,  thickness,  and  character  of  the 
deposits  beneath  the  surface  .  A  system  of  levels  or  cantours 
established  would  assist  m  terially  in  identifying  ore  beds  in 
the  various  regions.  "We  do  not  believe  that  any  costly  prep- 
arations for  developments  v  ould  be  necessary  or  advisable  un 
til  this  is  dona,  for  the  rea;.  on  that  the  bedding  of  the  Wilcox 
Formation,  in  which  all  this  ore  occurs,  is  often  discontinu- 
ous and  uncertain.  Further,  I  believe  that  the  first  develop- 
ments should  be  made  looking  to  the  recovery  of  the  surface 
ore,  since  this  can  be  done  '<  t  comparatively  little  cost,  and 
that  the  erection  of  smelteis  and  other  costly  plants  be  de- 
ferred until  the  extent  of  Ihe  deposit  be  fully  proved  by  the 
use  of  the  core  drill,  as  hei  etofore  mentioned.  By  proceed- 
ing in  this  way  the  marketing  of  the  surface  ores  can  be 
made  to  furnish  the  means  for  the  development  of  the  under- 
ground deposits,  without  a  previous  investment  of  large  sums 
on  uncertainties.  A  company  working  in  good  fajth  will  find 
it  best  to  proceed  in  this  way,  both  for  their  own  protection 
against  possible  loss,  and  for  the  protection  of  those  who 
invest  in  their  interprise. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

E.  N.  LOWE, 
Jackson,  Miss.,  May  1,  1912. 


YC  683 10 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


